Thursday, June 7, 2012

Pawikan Conservation Center

We saw a road sign going to Las Casas but we headed first to Pawikan Conservation Center. We have no idea on how far it would take us to get there and only relied on the signs, "Straight Ahead to Pawikan." There were a few signs but not the approximate kilometer or minutes away from the center. I was thinking we're just a few meters or ten minutes away to the destination. After about more than half an hour, we saw this arrow pointing us to Pawikan Center and behold, we finally reached Pawikan! We would like to extend our big thanks to Joy's husband, John for this "Straight Ahead to Pawikan" trip. That was a no retreat- no surrender trip! We already had two stops, Dunsulan Falls and Mt. Samat before this trip and already needing and wanting for rest.

We went there to visit sea turtles but we really don't know what to expect. It was included in the itinerary but I did not google it before the trip. We have no idea what awaits us at the center. We were already cracking jokes on our way to the center that there were no turtles anymore and have already returned to the sea. And we said it right, but there were three. We were a little bit unlucky because a hundred and fifty baby Pawikan were released to the sea, a little late, just a week before our visit.

The volunteer/guide was very kind to us and explained about the program of the Pawikan Conservation Center. There were quite a few volunteers inside the center and some of these men once were hunters of Pawikan as their means of livelihood, now turned volunteers to help save the Pawikan.

There were different informative posters in the center. It was another knowledge trip and we learned more of the Pawikan and their importance to ecological balance.

There were only three Pawikan left in the center, Olive Ridley, Green Turtle and Hawksbill. Olive Ridley (above photo) was donated to them by the owner because the owner cannot sustain anymore to have a pet Pawikan. This Pawikan stays only in one corner because, it grew up living in a basin, finds home in the corner of the pond and that corner becomes its habitat. They couldn't free Olive Ridley to the sea because it doesn't know how to dive.

Hawksbill, (hunchback) and Green Turtle (see photo below) are also resident sea turtles at the center.

See more photos below.

The Life Cycle of Sea Turtle

Visiting the Pawikan Conservation Center was a great experience although we didn't get to see eggs or little hatchlings. If you are planning to visit the center, better call them first to know the perfect time to visit if you want to see baby turtles. There is a season where the sea turtles come to the beach to lay their eggs from November to December. The turtles that were born here come back after 25 years.

There are rooms for rent in the center for those who want to stay overnight. I can stay here for the whole day, listening to the waves of the sea while waiting for the turtles to come. The sound of the waves rushing to the shore make my heart beats faster. I love the sea but not for swimming. We then proceeded to our final destination Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar right after that quick visit.

And because we came here on Monday, there were no other guests again and that's the only thing I love about Mondays!

It was all worth the trip. It's another great exposure for the kids, and adult as well. :)

There are 7 Pawikan species in the world, five can be found in the Philippines. Of these five, three Pawikan (includes Hawksbill, Olive Ridley and the Green Turtle) can be found in the entire coasts of Bagac and Morong.